Love your scent, baby
– Nasreen Rehmat says that, ultimately, any scent that makes you feel good is the one for you, regardless of marketing or cost.
“You don’t wear fragrance for anyone else. You wear fragrance for you.”
– Laurice Rahmi says that being influenced by trend alone can be costly: “When you buy a $100 bottle, it should be something you really enjoy.”
– Why do some perfumes cost so much more than others? Rehmat, who calls every bottle of perfume “an investment,” says it’s all about high concentrations of essential oils. Rahmi says the difference between a cheaply made and a quality scent is “the difference between a silk shirt and a polyester shirt.” It’s in the expertise behind the scent’s development, the rarity of the ingredients and the packaging.
Testing, testing
– Don’t try too many perfumes at once. Four is really the limit, Rehmat says, as your nose can become exhausted. Also, never shop for a scent before 10 a.m. Rehmat says early morning is when olfactory senses are weakest.
Applying perfume
– Forget about spraying it into the air and walking through it. “Put it anywhere you want to be kissed,” says Rehmat, paraphrasing Coco Chanel. Rahmi says to apply it on your “warm points” — upper neck, inside elbows, backs of knees, etc.
And, of course, the wrists. But don’t rub them together — you’ll break down the scent particles.
Applied too much?
– “That’s not nice, and it happens a lot in elevators and in dining places. It’s not very elegant,” Rahmi says.
“Pat some water on it. A damp paper towel will dilute it. Now, if you put it in your hair, you have a problem.”
In other words, it’s off to the shower with you.
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Scent immunity
– If you haven’t undergone any major bodily changes (pregnancy, illness, medication, serious dietary change, etc.) and you can’t smell your own perfume, don’t be surprised. “You get immune to what you have on,” Rahmi says. “You don’t smell it at all because there’s a saturation point.” In other words, your nose becomes accustomed to your own scent. Rest assured, others can smell you. So take a break from wearing any scent for a while or switch scents for a few weeks. When you go back to your favorite, you’ll be able to smell it again.
Location, location, location
– Perfumes bottled in Europe smell different from those bottled in the United States because the ingredients used are different. Look for where the perfume was bottled to be sure you’re getting the scent you’re looking for.
Scent killer
– Rehmat says that washing with deodorant soap right before applying perfume can alter how your perfume smells on you because the soap affects how the scent develops with your skin’s chemistry. “Those soaps don’t just kill bad smells,” she says, “they kill all smells.”